Iowa's Much-Anticipated Pheasant Season Opens October 26

Success during the 2023 pheasant season has Iowa hunters eagerly awaiting this year's opening day. With bird population estimates similar to two years ago, hunters are expecting another great fall afield. Pheasant hunting has been an Iowa tradition spanning generations. This year, it starts with the resident youth-only pheasant season Oct. 19-20. Although that is only open to Iowans under 15, regular pheasant season runs Oct. 26, 2024 -Jan. 10, 2025. The Iowa DNR and Pheasants Forever are partnering to celebrate Iowa's 100-year tradition of pheasant hunting beginning this fall, and running through October 2025. History, news stories, population surveys, places to hunt, classes and events, links to other resources and more are all features available on a their new webpage.. The page will be updated throughout the year. 2024 pheasant season expected to be similar to 2022 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources' annual August roadside survey found the statewide pheasant population to be 19 birds per 30-mile route, down from 23 birds per route last year. The decline was likely due to a wetter-than-normal spring that coincided with the nesting season. Based on the results, hunters can expect a harvest between 350,000 and 400,000 roosters. This year's excitement comes on the heels of a successful 2023 season that saw the harvest of 590,000 roosters, the most since 2007. This number is thanks to roughly 20,000 additional pheasant hunters returning to the field. "We've had a population that could support this level of harvest, but until last year we didn't have the hunter numbers," said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. An estimated 83,600 pheasant hunters participated in 2023, and many of those came from out of state. Iowa has been attracting pheasant hunters from Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska and from as far away as Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama. These hunters can expect to find higher populations in west central and northwest regions, followed by central and north central Iowa, Bogenschutz said. "Look for cover, cover will hold birds, regardless of location," he added. The return of drought conditions across much of the state since August has allowed the corn and soybean harvest to occur without pause. As the harvest progresses and the birds become more visible, Bogenschutz begins to get more phone calls from hunters looking for insights. "What I've been telling them is: [that] we could see most of the crops out of the fields by opening day, and if that's the case, we could see another really good opening weekend, similar to last year. If hunters want less competition, they should consider going during the week, but the first few weekends it will be pretty busy out there," he said. Roughly one-third of the pheasant harvest occurs within the first nine days of the season. Places to go hunting Iowa hunters have been using the interactive Iowa hunting atlas to find new places to go hunting. The hunting atlas features more than 680,000 acres of public hunting land that is owned by the state, county or federal governments. This tool allows hunters to see which zone the public area is in, type of shot allowed, and wildlife likely to be found. Visitors can also get an overhead look at the terrain. The mobile version of the atlas will show hunter location on the area. if granted permission. Information is updated as public hunting lands are acquired. The hunting atlas also includes 33,000 acres of private land enrolled in the Iowa Habitat and Access Program (IHAP) where private landowners receive assistance to improve habitat on their land in exchange for opening the property for hunter access. Never a dull moment! Subscribe to the free DecorahNews.com newsletter and stay one step ahead with local news and information you just can't get anywhere else.